Kyrgyz Vowels are Grouped into Four groups, two soft and two hard. To add affixes to words, first we have to go to the last vowel in the word, find which group it's in, and then pick the ending that has the same "harmonizing" vowels from that group.
1. а, (я) ы,
2. е, (э) и
3. о, (ё) у (ю)
4. ө, ү
Also, the vowels in the first column usually correspond in affixes, as do vowels in the third column. So if the group 1 affix is а, the group two affix is going to be e. One exception to harmony is that У usually takes A as an affix, if the affixes correspond to the first column. O will only be in affixes when the word's final vowel is o.
The vowels in parenthesis are mostly only found in Russian words, with the exception of Ээ, which is common in Kyrgyz words, but only at the beginning of words. As such it will never be in an affix.
These groups are also important for pronunciation. Especially К and Г will be soft if located before a soft vowel from groups 2+4, but hard and throaty with a hard vowel from groups 1+3. In Northern Kyrgyz, the soft K turns into a G as in gum.
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